* I worked with Sun-Times editorial writer Tom Frisbie back when I wrote columns for the paper. He’s a good guy and a smart guy and I’m really enjoying his posts at the paper’s website. Let’s look at a few.
For starters, DNR really needs to get its act together…
Last year, Illinois patted itself on the back for enacting legislation to govern hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, that has what Gov. Pat Quinn called the best environmental protections in the nation.
Now, some of those involved in the negotiations are fretting that the deal could become the legislative equivalent of a dry well. […]
(T)he rulemaking process under the original legislation is moving slowly. An original draft of proposed rules was released earlier this year, and both environmentalists and industry made suggestions for improvements. Environmentalists believed the rules were weaker than the legislation envisioned, and the drilling industry had its own concerns. Both sides are now awaiting a revised draft that will go to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources hasn’t missed its deadline yet, but all signs are the department has fallen far behind in processing the thousands of comments it received. Energy companies that have invested leases expiring in Southern Illinois are getting antsy because they’re not sure what is happening in Springfield.
“It’s kind of come to a grinding halt,” says Mark Denzler, vice president and chief operating officer of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association.
In its law allowing video gaming, the Illinois Legislature included truck stops as places where people could gamble. The thinking was that the pool of potential players was pretty much limited to truck drivers, and a lot of them are from out of state, which means video gaming would bring money into Illinois’ economy.
But it turns out owners of some ordinary gasoline stations have decided to redefine themselves as truck stops so that they can get a piece of the action.
“Right now there are gas stations trying to redefine themselves as truck stops,” said state Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford. “They put up a diesel pump and purchase some land so they get can get three acres [the minimum for being designated a truck stop].”
Flower shops also are getting into the act by obtaining liquor “pouring licenses” and then qualifying as a bar, where video gaming is permitted, he said.
Syverson has a bill that has a much better definition of what a truck stop is. The problem with the bill, though, is that Syverson also wants to double the number of video gaming machines that truck stops could have. Legislators worry that if they give more to truck stops, taverns will want the same treatment. So, the bill stalled.
* And here’s something you almost never see in a Chicago newspaper: A nuanced look at the patronage system. Frisbie writes about a visit to the paper’s editorial board by former anti-machine Ald. Marty Oberman, the new Metra chairman, who has pledged to root out patronage at the commuter agency. Oberman put patronage into the perspective of his city hall service…
Back when he was elected to the City Council as an idealistic 29-year-old, Oberman said, he learned that “people, even if they got hired through patronage, most people want to come to work and do their jobs. They would much rather be rewarded for doing their jobs than having to turn in the votes on Election Day. … Now, some didn’t mind doing both.”
“What I learned in the City Council is that a lot of the people [who were called] patronage hacks, they were good people,” Oberman said. “Their way to get a job was to get a letter from their committeeman. …. I went in and I railed against all these awful people that are working for the city. [But] one of the things that happens when you are alderman is you get to know these people individually. The guy who is on the garbage truck, you’ve got to talk to him. Most of these people, they were really decent people.
“[But]… they didn’t get rewarded for doing their jobs. They got rewarded for bringing the votes in on Election Day.”
Governor Pat Quinn says his next—and second term—would be his last if he’s re-elected, because he’s long believed in term limits for top officials.
WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports that at a City Club of Chicago lunch, Governor Quinn suggested it is no surprise that he would only want to serve two terms as governor.
“I believe in term limits. I practised the petition drive in 1994. I gathered nearly half a million signatures with many others for term limits and at that time I thought executive statewide officials should have a term limit,” said Quinn.
* The Question: Post gubernatorial job opportunities?
Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk says he doesn’t agree with proposals in Illinois to impose term limits on elected officials.
Republican governor candidate Bruce Rauner is pushing a voter initiative to limit state lawmakers. This week, the Republican leaders of the Illinois House and Senate backed an amendment to the state’s constitution that’ll limit statewide officers to two terms. The officers include the governor and comptroller.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* From a press release…
The Illinois Republican Party National Committeeman today called on Governor Pat Quinn, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton to approve a Republican proposal to impose term limits on constitutional office holders and reject a Democrat proposal to impose a progressive income tax on Illinois families.
With both legislative proposals moving through the General Assembly this week, the choice before Illinois Democrats is historic and their decisions will send a clear message about their values and priorities.
“The people of Illinois want term limits and they want lower taxes,” said Illinois Republican National Committeeman Richard Porter. “Pat Quinn, Michael Madigan and John Cullerton have a choice: Do they support more job-killing tax hikes, or do they want to restore Illinois to economic prosperity? The people of Illinois are watching and they will hold Democrats accountable for their choices in November.”
Last week, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin and Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno introduced a constitutional amendment that would allow Illinois voters to approve term limits on constitutional office holders this November. At the same time, Senate Democrats are expected to consider today a progressive income tax hike for Illinois.
This term limits thing appears to be little more than a game. The GOP introduced it this month and Bruce Rauner promptly jumped on board. There are enough calendar days to get the constitutional amendment onto the ballot, but the House would have to add at least one and maybe more session days to accommodate the proposal.
Not to mention that the GOP’s most popular incumbent is Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, who has held statewide office for 16 years. Before that, she served 14 years in the General Assembly.
Topinka has called legislative term limits a “stupid” idea. I’m more of an agnostic, but you gotta wonder why the state party would essentially be saying that JBT shouldn’t run for another term.
* You can always count on somebody around here to gin up an empty, last-second and hopeless political battle. Speaker Madigan’s spokesman said yesterday that he seriously doubted the House would schedule any additional session days if the Senate passed this proposal.
* And as far as the other issue goes, I’m with Doubek on this one…
Word is state Sen. Don Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat, is planning to seek a vote Tuesday on his proposal to ask voters if they want to change the state constitution to move from a flat to a graduated income tax system, where people pay higher tax rates as their incomes rise. People who make more already pay more, of course, because 5 percent of $200,000 is more than 5 percent of $20,000. Harmon has a separate bill to set rates at three levels. The first $12,500 would be taxed at 2.9 percent, income above that up to $180,000 would be taxed at 4.9 percent, and income greater than $180,000 would be taxed at 6.9 percent. That sounds to me like most of us working Illinoisans would be paying more than the 3.75 percent the law provides for next year. […]
Every House Democrat would have to vote for Harmon’s amendment this week to get it on the ballot. At least one, state Rep. Jack Franks, a Marengo Democrat, has vowed to oppose it.
So, I suspect the veteran statehouse observers at the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce had it right when they suggested to their members that it would be politically unwise for Harmon to pursue a vote on a progressive tax plan sure to fail in the House. Why would Senate Democrats want to go on record for what amounts to a tax increase that won’t ultimately pass?
Unless Harmon has a secret grand plan to get three-fifths in both chambers, he’s gonna be stringing out a whole lot of colleagues if he calls his proposal for a floor vote today.
The frustrating part of this election year is that few politicians are willing to commit to details that could come back to haunt them. Give Quinn credit for announcing he wants to go back on his word, change the law, and raise taxes to 5 percent. Yet neither he nor Republican challenger Bruce Rauner nor anyone else is giving any of us much detail about how we might create more jobs or live within the 3.75 percent tax rate Democrats passed into law in 2011.
Actually, Gov. Quinn has detailed what would happen if the income tax hike is allowed to expire. It’s all right here.
* What frustrates me so much about the governor is he keeps talking about tons of new spending, like the $700 million net annual cost of sending property owners a $500 check before election day, and every year thereafter.
Gov. Pat Quinn [yesterday] dangled a possible replacement to Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to raise property taxes to restructure two Chicago pension funds: give the city a bigger cut of state income taxes. […]
Mr. Quinn did not discuss how to fund the move given his prior ideas to boost aid to education, pay off state bills, and hand each homeowner an annual $250-a-year state property tax “refund.”
But Mr. Quinn left little doubt in his remarks to the City Club and in answering reporters’ questions that he thinks a deal is available that would be good for him and the mayor, as well as for suburban communities which face their own woes paying for pensions. […]
Until the “temporary” income-tax hike went into effect in 2011, local municipalities received an automatic 10 percent cut of all state income-taxes raised from their residents. That was not the case with the incremental $7 billion or so a year the state gets from the “temporary” income-tax hike.
If the traditional 10 percent share were applied to the entire proposed permanent income-tax hike, Chicago alone would net $140 million to $150 million a year, according to a revised rough estimate by Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation.
But time is fast running out on the spring session. And legislators who are already nervous about voting to make the tax hike permanent before an election may not be amenable to new revenue streams.
* The truth is that Mayor Emanuel badly botched his pension reform bill. He negotiated an agreement with the unions which included a state-mandated local property tax hike without first checking with anybody to see if it could pass the General Assembly or be signed into law. As it turned out, the plan was dead before the ink was dry on the proposal.
And now Quinn is in a huge bind because he’s claiming that Rauner will raise property taxes with his proposed budget cuts.
But that doesn’t give Quinn an excuse to wish into existence magic budget dust.
So, yeah, Rauner is definitely guilty of running away from all specifics. But Quinn can’t continue to hammer his opponent while also refusing to specify how he plans to address this local pension funding issue.
And if he is “open” to discussions, it’s past time that he got those talks off the ground.
* A patronage hiring controversy at IDOT started cranking up while I was on break. Today’s update from the AP…
Gov. Pat Quinn says the increase in jobs free from hiring rules at the Illinois Department of Transportation were “absolutely” necessary.
He told reporters Monday that there were federal stimulus dollars that had to be spent quickly and efficiently, along with a massive capital bill. He says policy makers were needed.
Documents released last week by his office showed an increase of 57 percent from 2003 to 2011. The documents showed that in 2011 there were 369 jobs at IDOT that could be given without restriction to those with political connections. That was up from 234 in 2003.
Umm, OK.
* The document release came after a lawsuit was filed April 22nd…
A Chicago lawyer asked a federal judge yesterday to order an investigation into hiring under Gov. Pat Quinn, saying there’s an “embedded culture of patronage practices” in Illinois government and anyone who improperly got a job should be fired.
Michael Shakman, known for bringing the decades-old court case that led to bans on politically based hiring in Chicago and Cook County, filed his motion in U.S. District Court in Chicago as part of that ongoing lawsuit.
The filing accuses Quinn of improper hiring and reclassification of employees in the Illinois Department of Transportation. It cites a 2013 report by the Better Government Association, a watchdog group, that concluded hundreds of IDOT jobs may have been wrongly filled based on “clout instead of competence.”
* The BGA has been pushing this story for a while now, claiming that the hirings were illegal. Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider has avoided commenting on the issue, but finally sat down with the BGA last week. Here’s some of what she had to say…
Patrick McCraney/BGA: As you see it, what did IDOT do wrong when it comes to Rutan?
Ann Schneider/IDOT Secretary: Well, the way that I look at this is that we had gotten position descriptions that were sent over to [the Illinois Department of Central Management Services] for classification, and when they came back, they came back as Rutan-exempt [the job classification that allows a hire to be made based on politics]. We went through the Rutan-exempt hiring for those positions and, I think that as your story rightly pointed out last year, some of those people brought in under those position descriptions ended up performing duties outside of those position descriptions. Thankfully, to you, really, for bringing this to our attention, we found that perhaps people were not performing Rutan-exempt duties that they were hired to perform.
At that point, I thought it was important that we stopped hiring any of these staff assistant positions, and that we do a review of the processes related to the positions, and at the same time that we reviewed the process, that we also audited those positions. In other words, we did a desk audit, there was a team, a third-party, that we brought in to conduct interviews of the people in these positions to find out what their job duties were, also to interview their supervisors, to find out what it is their supervisors expect of those positions.
As a result of those interviews and that desk audit, we drew up these new job descriptions that more accurately reflect the work that these people were doing. Those descriptions were sent to CMS for re-classification, and we have just gotten back, really, just a couple days ago, and we were going through what we got back from CMS, but it appears based on what they sent back to us, that, it appears right now that 48 of the 60 positions, they’re performing Rutan-covered duties, so those are Rutan-covered positions, and 12 of those positions that were sent over came back as retaining their Rutan-exempt status.
* When told that Shakman believes IDOT should only have 20 or so “double-exempt” positions, which are exempt from both US Supreme Court’s Rutan ruling, and the personnel code, Schneider said this…
I think that 20, for an organization of more than 5,200 people, that’s statewide, that covers nine different districts, and beyond those nine districts we have three other offices, people obviously have to run all of those locations, and make sure that the vision and mission of the administration is being carried out appropriately. And then, when we looked at the auditors, and the attorneys, obviously they are all privy to a lot of confidential information, and as we get into labor relations, for obvious reasons we want them to be double-exempt, non-union people, the legislative and governmental affairs are obviously speaking on behalf of the administration, and helping us to move policy through the General Assembly, and our local community liaisons are the same. I think if there was a review done of everybody who is classified for every position as double-exempt, I don’t think there would be much disagreement that where we’re at is closer to the appropriate level.
(W)e have 13 different offices and divisions, each of those offices and divisions have directors. It’s very important in those positions to have people that are able to carry out the mission and the vision of the governor and the administration. Within that, we’ve also got deputy directors, there’s a number of deputy directors. We also have, there are 40 engineers at IDOT that are double-exempt positions… And, those 40 engineers are all a five or above, so they’re all in managerial roles, they’re all in roles to carry out what the agency does. We also have over 20 attorneys that are double-exempt. Our audit staff is also double-exempt. Our labor relations staff, our legislative and governmental affairs staff are double exempt. We also have what we call “Local Community Liaisons,” and these are folks that work for us that are out in the community and dealing with the mayors and the local elected officials and even with constituents, to address their transportation concerns, and also to help us with carrying out the mission of the organization, so they are also double-exempt. We have some support staff, we have some executive secretaries and administrative assistants, that support all of these people in these roles, that are privy to confidential conversations and information, and they are also considered double-exempt.
Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
In an era of on-demand service, you shouldn’t have to trade in your safety and peace of mind when it comes to transportation. People have the right to know that the same public safety protections are in place for everyone in the transportation business, regardless of what kind of car service they use.
That should include ride-sharing companies, but they currently ignore several state and local laws protecting consumers, including police background checks, drug testing, proper licensing and 24/7 commercial insurance.
You can already see what’s happening in the absence of these important protections: recently, NBC 5 Chicago investigated a ex-convict on probation with a list of felonies spanning over twenty years became a ride-share driver almost immediately after she applied, even after her so-called “background check.” And another ride-share driver in San Francisco hit and killed a 6-year-old girl, only to have the ride-sharing company deny liability and the family insurance.
Allowing multi-billion dollar companies to leave people without basic protections is not an improvement to the public marketplace.
The Illinois legislature should protect consumers and demand the same requirements for ALL drivers. Vote YES on HB 4075!
The phrase “if you don’t like it, then you can leave” might be a dangerous thing to say in Illinois.
According to a recent Gallup poll, the state would lose a quarter of its population if every resident who didn’t like it decided to leave it. The poll asked survey-takers to rate their state as a place to live, and Illinois had the highest percentage of people who said it is the worst place to live, at 25 percent.
Illinois was followed by Connecticut and Rhode Island, 17 percent of whose residents rated their states as the worst place to live.
The states with the highest rates in the “best possible state to live in” category were Texas (28 percent), Alaska (27 percent), Hawaii (25 percent) and Montana (24 percent). Only 3 percent of Illinoisans put their state in the same category.
Illinois has the unfortunate distinction of being the state with the highest percentage of residents who say it is the worst possible place to live. One in four Illinois residents (25%) say the state is the worst place to live, followed by 17% each in Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Throughout its history, Illinois has been rocked by high-profile scandals, investigations, and resignations from Chicago to Springfield and elsewhere throughout the state. Such scandals may explain why Illinois residents have the least trust in their state government across all 50 states. Additionally, they are among the most resentful about the amount they pay in state taxes. These factors may contribute to an overall low morale for the state’s residents.
When asked to rate their state as a place to live, three in four Montanans (77%) and Alaskans (77%) say their state is the best or one of the best places to live. […]
Residents of Western and Midwestern states are generally more positive about their states as places to live. With the exception of the New England states of New Hampshire and Vermont, all of the top 10 rated states are west of the Mississippi River. In addition to Montana and Alaska, Utah (70%), Wyoming (69%), and Colorado (65%) are among the 10 states that residents are most likely to say their state is among the best places to reside. Most of these states have relatively low populations, including Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota, and Alaska — the four states with the smallest populations in the nation. Texas, the second most populated state, is the major exception to this population relationship. Although it is difficult to discern what the causal relationship is between terrain and climate and positive attitudes, many of the top 10 states are mountainous with cold winters. In fact, the two states most highly rated by their residents — Montana and Alaska — are among not only the nation’s coldest states but also both border Canada.
* But Gallup didn’t publish results from another poll question it posed in that survey. When asked to describe their state, one option was “As good a state as any to live in in the United States.”
I asked the company for the responses to that question and they sent it to me late yesterday. Read all responses to all questions in all states by clicking here.
* According to the document, 54 percent of Illinoisans said their state was as good a place to live as any other state. Another 16 percent said Illinois was “One of the best possible states to live in in the United States.” And 3 percent said it was the best possible state to live in.
So, 73 percent had basically positive or neutral things to say about Illinois.
* Do not get me wrong here. We are obviously a messed up place if a quarter of all Illinoisans believe their state is the armpit of the universe. I just thought you’d like to see the rest of the poll.
71 percent of Illinoisans said their taxes were too high, while only 26 percent said they weren’t too high.
Illinois ranked fourth, behind New York (77-21), New Jersey (77-22) and Connecticut (76-23).
Wisconsin residents, which pay higher personal income tax rates than Illinoisans, were way down the list at 51-46. That’s slightly above the 50-47 national state average.
Also, 51 percent of Hoosiers, who have high state rates, say their taxes are not too high, compared to 48 percent who said they were too high.
* The takeaway? The income tax hike is hugely unpopular and in the media almost daily. And the state government appears inept and floundering. It’s not hard to see why residents feel this way.
Gov. Pat Quinn is doing a national search for the next chief of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services in the wake of the current director resigning after only a month on the job, the governor’s office said Thursday.
* Fast-forward to today. No more national search. Quinn has instead nominated his current interim director..
The interim director of the state’s Department of Children and Family Services, which has had four leaders in six months, on Tuesday received Gov. Pat Quinn’s nomination to continue heading the agency.
Bobbie M. Gregg, who has been the interim director since late February, must be confirmed by the state Senate. In the meantime, she’ll assume the title of acting director.
Quinn touted Gregg, a DCFS veteran who has also worked in county and federal government, as the right person to head the child welfare agency.
Quinn’s choice of Gregg is likely to be, however, a disappointment to lawmakers who sought national talent and to those who witnessed her dismal performance at recent legislative budget hearings.
“We’ve had a rotating door, unfortunately, in the last several months in this department. So it’s been hard for any leadership to gain traction,” said State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) when Gregg’s interim appointment was announced in February. “I would encourage the governor to look within the state and outside the state for a director who brings some innovation along with the experience”.
At recent House and Senate budget hearings, Gregg’s performance was panned for her lack of grasp of basic agency financial and operational details, according to accounts. Gregg fumbled for answers regarding recent cuts to the agency’s budget despite being spoon-fed questions by lawmakers. Legislators – Democrats and Republicans – were privately stunned by Gregg’s lack of preparation.
Word is that the governor’s office did interview other potential talented candidates, but political uncertainty over Quinn’s hold on office beyond January 2015 doomed the other candidacies.
* Barton Lorimor did a fantastic job while I was on break. I think the best way we can thank him for his services to us here is to donate to his favorite cause. Barton sent me this e-mail today…
Rich,
As you and I discussed earlier, a former colleague and fellow Saluki passed away on this day six years ago. He was 22.
Ryan Rendleman, a student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and photojournalist for the Daily Egyptian newspaper, was on his way to O’Fallon, Ill., to meet a young girl with Tay-Sachs disease. It’s an incurable and unfortunately fatal illness he was hoping to make more people aware of. Sadly, he was killed en route while his car was stopped in a construction zone just north of Pickneyville, Ill.
I don’t want to sound like I was one of Ryan’s best friends. Ryan and I worked together. My desk in the newsroom was close to the photo lab he managed during my first semester in Carbondale. This anniversary means a lot more to his fellow shooters.
That said, after his passing I realized what Ryan meant to me personally. He was the first person to introduce himself to a scraggly ginger freshman from Carlock, IL on his first day as a reporter. He and a couple of the other upperclassmen even took that runt to lunch that afternoon. It was a little thing, but it made a big difference. I think a lot of us that knew Ryan changed something about ourselves because of him - especially after his passing. My change was to strive to be the first one to welcome the new guy.
Another good way to honor Ryan would be to make a contribution to National Tay-Sachs & Allied Diseases Association, which strives to find a cure to the disease Ryan was on his way to write about. In the years immediately after his death, some of the images Ryan captured were professionally printed and auctioned off at fundraisers with the proceeds benefiting a Tay-Sachs cure. Pretty cool legacy, if you ask me. NTSAD accepts donations online. The link is here.
If anyone is interested in learning more about Ryan, a recent SIUC graduate wrote an amazing tribute to him last year. Based on my interactions with Ryan and the stories I have heard about him over the years, this article seems to have captured him to the tee.
I appreciate your consideration and help with both of these causes.I think you would have liked Ryan. He was a silly guy that loved Bob Dylan’s music, free pizza, and pressing the shutter button on images that would provoke thought and change. Although we cannot take his pictures, perhaps we can still help him provoke change.
* Whenever government agencies are threatened with budget cuts, they can usually be counted on to highlight the most draconian possibilities which could result. From Illinois Public Radio…
Gov. Pat Quinn and other Democrats say if the [income] tax rate is allowed to drop, there would have to be massive cuts across state government.
For example, Secretary of State Jesse White said his office would have to cut nearly $39 million under the “not recommended” budget. […]
The threatened cuts include the entire state Capitol Police force, which was established about a decade ago, after a deranged man shot and killed an unarmed security officer. The shooting led to the installation of metal detectors and x-ray machines, and hiring sworn, armed law enforcement personnel.
White said unless the legislature makes the temporary tax increase permanent, the entire force will be eliminated — leaving just the unarmed guards.
“We just believe if we have to revert back to the days when this gentleman was killed, that it may not be in the best interests of the members of the Illinois General Assembly, or the people at large,” he said.
There’s no doubt that the cuts would be huge. And there’s also undoubtedly no small amount of poetic justice to White’s argument.
But could it really happen? I’m not so sure.
By the way, White also said he’d have to close 25 drivers license facilities and lay off 200 people and wouldn’t be able to mail notices to remind motorists to renew their licenses and their plate stickers.
Bruce Rauner’s gubernatorial campaign began airing three new television advertisements today, highlighting his extensive efforts to help the community and improve education as well as his cross-party appeal.
“My name is Cornell Nelson. I’m from the South Side of Chicago. I support Bruce Rauner. Early on, I stayed out of trouble. Later on, I got captured by the streets. I ended up at this place called A Safe Haven. Bruce made a great difference. He’s helped provide meals in these neighborhoods. He’s helped provide clothing. People don’t know he’s had his hand in doing this for a very long time. Bruce did that. It’s a really beautiful thing.”
“My name is Lula Ford and I taught public school for 22 years, I was a principal for 5 and I was an assistant superintendent. That’s why as a Democrat I’m voting for Bruce because I realize he’s very much about education for children, especially in underserved communities and the inner city. He will follow through on every promise he has made about education, and he is not afraid of a fight. And I think he knows he’s in for one, but I think he’ll be triumphant. Bruce is the real deal.”
“I’m Manny Sanchez, former co-chair of Latinos for Obama. The state is going in the wrong direction and has been going in the wrong direction for too long. I absolutely think that Bruce Rauner would be the right and the perfect and the optimal candidate for Democrats, for Independents and for Republicans. We need to have a leader who’s honest, who’s fresh and who’s willing to tell the people, whether they want to hear it or not, the truth and that’s what Bruce Rauner brings to this race.”
Former Illinois State Rep. KEITH FARNHAM was charged today with possession of child pornography in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Farnham allegedly possessed two videos depicting child pornography on a computer that was seized from his state office in Elgin in March.
Farnham, 66, of Elgin, was not arrested and no date has been set yet for him to appear voluntarily for an initial appearance in Federal Court.
On March 13, agents with U.S. Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a federal search warrant at Farnham’s office and residence in Elgin. Several computers and electronic storage devices were recovered that contained child pornography images, including the two charged videos, according to the complaint affidavit. The office computer that contained the videos was labeled “PROPERTY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.”
Farnham resigned his seat in the Illinois General Assembly on March 19.
According to the complaint, HSI agents were investigating information received from the HSI Cyber Crimes Center that an email address, later linked to Farnham, was being used to trade child pornography on the Internet. After agents linked the email account to Farnham they obtained and reviewed instant message chats that occurred between last June and January this year. Excerpts of those chats are detailed in the affidavit.
Possession of child pornography carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The complaint was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Gary Hartwig, Special Agent-in-Charge of HSI in Chicago
A complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
* So, the question becomes, where the heck does the governor expect to find hundreds of millions or even billions a year to fund this idea?…
Gov. Pat Quinn is offering a possible new solution to Chicago’s pension crisis suggesting the state could do more to share revenue with local municipalities.
Following a City Club of Chicago luncheon today, Quinn told reporters that a discussion needs to happen over giving local municipalities a larger percentage share of the state’s revenue. That means that the percentage of state money Chicago or other muncipalities receive from the state would increase. Quinn said the plan would work through his budget proposal, which called for an extension of a income tax hike as well as a $500 property tax rebate.
“I believe in that. I think that’s a good way to help local units of government and the school districts to some extent reduce their reliance on property taxes,” Quinn said. “That has to be one of our foremost missions in Illinois. The property tax collects more money every year than the income tax and sales tax combined. I want to reduce our property taxes.”
Killing off the $700 million “property tax relief” plan would be a start, but even that may not be enough.
A politically savvy straight-shooter, Lucille “Jackie” Gallagher was probably the most powerful spokeswoman for the Chicago Teachers Union in decades.
Mrs. Gallagher was a seasoned aide to House Speaker Michael Madigan when she was persuaded to leave the halls of the Illinois Capitol in 1991 to join the CTU as assistant to then-President Jacqueline Vaughn and as head of CTU communications.
Having worked for Madigan and before that, as a lobbyist, Mrs. Gallagher was able to “provide entry to some of the most important politicians in Springfield for the CTU,’’ said former CTU recording secretary Pam Massarsky. “Most especially, she had this remarkable relationship with Mike Madigan. It was both professional and personal. She had entry whenever she needed it.’’
Mrs. Gallagher died April 22 at age 85. […]
“She did not pull any punches,’’ said Gail Purkey, who served on Madigan’s staff with Mrs. Gallagher and later was her communications counterpart at the Illinois Federation of Teachers.
“She tried to be straightforward with reporters, and I think she was high-profile because of that,’’ Purkey said.
I had a few go-arounds with her myself over the years. Gail is right that Jackie didn’t pull any punches.
Whew, man.
Even so, I loved her. Who couldn’t? Jackie was one heckuva woman, with a raucous sense of humor. She truly stomped on the terra.
* As an aside, I’m told her daughters read CapitolFax.com posts to her almost right up to the very end.
Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) introduced a Constitutional Amendment on April 21 with the support of House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) that, if approved by Illinois voters, would impose a two-term limit on the state’s Executive Branch officers.
“I’ve been slow to embrace term limits because voters do have the power to reject candidates and oust incumbents. However, given the condition of Illinois, I think the time has come to give voters a choice on limiting terms of office for its constitutional officers,” said Radogno. “Coupled with an effort to have voters decide on legislators’ term limits, this could lead to a meaningful change in Illinois government.”
“The power of incumbency is particularly strong for those holding top executive positions like the Governor. Term limits will bring fresh perspectives to these offices and will make elections for these offices more competitive,” said Durkin.
Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 69 (SJRCA 69) would not only limit Executive Branch officers to two terms in office, it also addresses circumstances where an individual is appointed to replace a Governor or Constitutional Officer, whether due to a death or another reason. In that situation, if the acting Governor or appointee serves for more than two years of their predecessor’s term, then they will be limited to one additional term in office; in this way, no Constitutional Officer will ever serve more than ten years in that capacity.
Though a May 5 deadline to pass a Constitutional Amendment is looming, Radogno said it is still possible to move the measure through the General Assembly before the cutoff date. Having been read into the record on April 22, SJRCA 69 has completed the first step in that process.
* From an April 23rd press release…
Bruce Rauner issued the following statement regarding the introduction of SJRCA69 which would place a Constitutional Amendment putting term limits on Executive Branch officers on the November ballot:
“I strongly support this term limits proposal. It is the perfect complement to our initiative for legislative term limits, and as governor, I’ll limit myself to two terms no matter what.
Despite his current opposition to both term limits efforts, I urge Pat Quinn to take on his Party’s legislative leaders and side with the people of Illinois who support term limits across the board.”
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn said today he supports a Republican-backed proposal to limit how long statewide elected officials can serve and defended his term-limit credentials against criticism from GOP governor candidate Bruce Rauner.
“I support this proposed constitutional amendment and have supported term limits since 1994,” Quinn said in a statement issued through his governor’s office. “Constitutional amendments have long allowed the power of the people to translate into positive reform for Illinois government.” […]
In December, Quinn contended he had not abandoned his long-standing support for term limits, but wouldn’t say if a general election victory this year would mark his last four-year term. At the time, he said it was up to lawmakers first to approve a constitutional amendment to place it on the ballot and for voters to approve it.
* And his campaign took it a step further with Michael Sneed on April 25th…
Sneed exclusive . . .
Gov. Pat Quinn has decided his second elected term in office will be his last.
◆ Translation: Although the state has no term limits, Sneed is told Quinn will not run again in 2018 if he wins re-election this year.
The late date of the introduction of the proposal [by Radogno] should not be discounted.
The deadline to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot is May 5. Lawmakers are only in session a few days before that date.
If Radogno was actually serious about getting the question before voters, she wouldn’t have waited until last week to put the idea on paper.
Gov. Pat Quinn, who would have been barred from being governor if the law was in place, signed on as a supporter, even though he doesn’t really have any say in whether the legislature places constitutional amendment proposals on the ballot.
* And in other news, this release went out Saturday…
Gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner today met with the families of Warren G. Murray Developmental Center residents and assured them that he believes they should have a choice in the care of their developmentally disabled loved ones.
“Pat Quinn decided to close Murray Center without ever visiting the facility,” Rauner said. “I made the trip to Murray Center today to see for myself what is happening here and to see the impact Quinn’s decision has had on the families of the residents and on the people of this community.”
“It is irresponsible to close Murray Center unless we can make absolutely certain that the most vulnerable residents are being cared for in an environment that is as good as – or better than – Murray Center,” Rauner said. “Right now, Murray Center is the best option for these families.”
* Quinn’s response…
Out-of-touch billionaire Bruce Rauner today was in Centralia to visit the Murray Developmental Center and privately meet with parents and Republican state legislators Kyle McCarter and Charlie Meier. Quinn for Illinois’ statement regarding his visit follows:
“Billionaire Bruce Rauner is shameless. This guy will say anything depending on his audience, and now is playing politics with the quality of people’s lives.
Today, Rauner showed a complete lack of care or understanding that people with disabilities deserve the choice to live more independently.
Not to mention, he showed a total disregard of how his campaign promises conflict with his promise to cut spending.
He will say and do anything to get elected.
* But Monica Seals, who works for WRXX Radio in Centralia, posted this piece on Facebook…
Love him or hate him the fact is Bruce Rauner did what Gov. Pat Quinn has to this day never done – he took the time and made the effort to visit the Murray Center and witness first-hand what parents and guardians of its residents are fighting for.
While Quinn’s campaign is calling Rauner’s visit and pledge to keep the center open if elected “shameless,” Quinn’s own pandering to ARC and its business chapters earned him an award from the organization after he made the decision – sight unseen – to close the Centralia facility.
Claiming that Rauner, who has actually met with Murray residents, is playing politics with the quality of people’s lives and is showing a lack of care or understanding about what people with disabilities deserve is quite a mouthful for a man who has repeatedly turned down invitations to meet those very people of whom he speaks. […]
Now DHS has banned local lawmakers from visiting Murray residents with whom those lawmakers have developed personal relationships.
According to Sen. Kyle McCarter and Murray Parents Association President Rita Winkeler, DHS contacted republican Rep. Charlie Meier and republican Sen. McCarter and told them they would not be allowed to visit Winkeler’s son on Saturday, despite having done so many times before.
Now I’m a democrat, but even I have to admit that this was strictly a political move. A democratic administration makes a one-day prohibition of republican local lawmakers visiting constituents they have previously visited without restriction. That one day, of course, coincided with the visit of the republican candidate running against that democratic incumbent.
Was Rauner’s visit and pledge political? Absolutely. Was Quinn’s move to close Murray political. Definitely. Was the banning of republican lawmakers for one day from the facility a political move? Without a doubt.
* We spent the better part of spring break at a campground in the Florida panhandle. Oscar the Puppy and I drove down there together. It was a long ride, and his first extended trip, so I wasn’t sure how he’d behave.
Turned out, he was a perfect angel the whole way down and back. Here he is chilling during an overnight stop on the way south…
* The campground was right on a beach. A local ordinance only allows residents to apply for licenses to take their dogs onto the beach. I thought that was kind of unfair, and a cursory look at the ordinance revealed that there were no enforcement provisions. So, with some trepidation, off to the beach we went…
A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit from a writer who was seeking access to areas in the Illinois House and Senate reserved for the news media.
The lawsuit was filed by Scott Reeder and the Illinois Policy Institute. Reeder is employed by the IPI and is listed as a journalist for the Illinois News Network, a project of the IPI.
Reeder said he was unfairly denied access to press boxes in the House and Senate after lawyers for the two chambers said he worked for a lobbying organization, not an independent news operation. House and Senate rules prohibit lobbyists from the media areas in the chambers. Reeder’s lawsuit, though, said media organizations with lobbyists have been granted access in the past.
The court said it was within the purview of the House and Senate to determine who qualified for access to the press boxes. Reeder said he will appeal the decision.
[U.S. District Judge Colin Bruce] wrote he “remains very interested in the motivation behind (the) defendants’ actions regarding Reeder’s access to the press facilities of the Illinois House and Senate,” adding he’ll closely watch the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ interpretation.
“Should (that court) disagree with this court’s determination that absolute legislative immunity applies to this situation and remand the case, this court would welcome the opportunity to explore the motives behind (the) defendants’ decisions and the opportunity to seek answers to the questions discussed in the introduction to this opinion,” Bruce wrote. […]
Reeder insisted the prohibition against lobbying hasn’t been uniformly applied, and that the institute is a “nonpartisan public-policy research and education organization.”
The defendants countered in court filings that federal case law made clear their internal procedural rules involving press credentials “are fully protected against judicial interference by the doctrine of legislative immunity.”
Bruce concurred with the defendants while acknowledging he has lingering questions about the motives for denying Reeder press credentials, wondering chiefly whether such denials are routine or rare and what the legislative review process in such matters involves. Bruce also said he would like to know whether exceptions or waivers are granted to applicants.
“Mike Madigan and John Cullerton claim they have the authority to violate individuals’ rights with impunity when they make decisions on whether to grant press credentials,” said INN attorney Jacob Huebert of the Liberty Justice Center. “They do not. The First Amendment requires that the government provide journalists like Scott Reeder equal access to press facilities, and we will continue the fight for his right to freedom of the press.”
“We have previous governors who weren’t so courageous,” said House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago), calling the governor “forthright,” adding, “it’s not going to be an easy vote” for lawmakers.
Those who are worried about their re-election chances, Madigan said, should consider, “What kind of a budget do they wish to support? If they want a budget that is lower than the current one, why, they should vote no. If they want to maintain the current level of service for things such as education, mental health, and human services, they should vote yes for the extension of the income tax increase.”
“The people of Illinois will have a clear choice. Quinn is a Democrat, and as a Democrat he is a public official that wants to show progress. Progress for the state, progress for the people of the state, progress in improving the opportunities for the people of the state. Rauner’s a Republican. He represents reaction. He wants to go back, and he wants to go back to a day that’s long gone.”
“Wherever I’ve had opposition in the legislature or in the state Democratic Party, we’ve usually made converts of those people, because we want to work with people and we want to move in the right direction,” Madigan said.
“So I would expect that in due time you’ll find that Mr. Noland will want to be one of those seconding my nomination.”
“Over the last 50 years, five maps. Republicans have done one out of five. They’re angry, and this is part of their Republican politics. That’s all there is.”
* On that ridiculous vote by the Executive Committee to send a bill to the floor which would spend $100 million on an Obama presidential library…
A lesson in politics: Whichever party is in charge can often use the rules to its advantage. Like last week, when the Obama library proposal passed out of a Democratic-controlled House committee with nine votes … even though only five representatives were there. Republicans had skipped the hearing, and many say they’re opposed to spending the money given Illinois’ financial situation.
House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Democrat, calls it a “misunderstanding,” and says the committee will vote again, once the legislative session resumes next week.
“I would hope with the support of the Republican members of the committee, who I would think would want to support a son of Illinois, who rose to the Presidency,” Madigan says.
Madigan says he doesn’t understand the reluctance to spend taxpayer money on the project, pointing out that the state funded the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. He says an Obama library in Chicago would likewise be an international tourist attraction.
Out of power for a dozen years and hobbled even before that by anti-patronage court rulings, the state’s Republican Party infrastructure has all but collapsed.
So, part of GOP gubernatorial nominee Bruce Rauner’s task he’s set for himself from here on out is to try and somehow rebuild a grassroots infrastructure.
It won’t be an easy job. Republicans have never, in the modern age, been able to match the Democrats’ ability to dispatch patronage armies to the state’s distant corners because of the Democrats’ Chicago and Cook County patronage basesThe Republicans’ local organizations are essentially hollow these days, and they have no troops to speak of.
Before the primary, Rauner’s campaign had ambitious hopes of opening as many as fifty field offices throughout Illinois. Those plans were scaled back as reality sank in. Finding enough experienced people to staff those offices would be next to impossible.
It’s unknown at this time, even, apparently, by the Rauner campaign, just how many offices they plan to open and where. The candidate has enough cash to do pretty much whatever he wants. The problem, as noted above, is finding people to do the job.
But if his campaign can get this project off the ground, it could be a game-changer. Gov. Pat Quinn barely won his last election against a Republican candidate who had almost no field operation. Every vote that Rauner can turn out at the precinct level is a vote that gets him closer to victory.
And that Rauner push could have a significant trickle down effect on state legislative races, particularly in the Illinois House, where there are more competitive contests.
Even so, Republicans shouldn’t expect any miracles this November.
A study published earlier this year by Washington University in St. Louis took a look at gerrymandering - deliberately partisan drawing of congressional districts - and found that examining the data in two different ways produced the same result.
Every one percentage point increase in vote share by the ruling party produced about a two percentage point increase in the number of seats the party won.
So, winning 55 percent of the vote will generally yield about 60 percent of the seats.
Now, compare that to the Illinois results. I asked the Yes For Independent Maps coalition last month to count up the number of votes that all Democratic legislative candidates received so I could compare that to the number of legislative seats the Democrats won. The coalition is attempting to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot this November which would try to take some of the partisan politics out of the state’s redistricting process. So, while they do have motives, the numbers are the numbers.
The results were astonishing, as first revealed in my Crain’s Chicago Business column. They far exceed that historic national trend.
According to the remap coalition’s count, Democrats received 53 percent of all the votes cast in all Illinois House races statewide. Using the WashU study, the House Democrats should historically hope to receive 56 percent of the seats, but they won 60 percent in 2012.
Of course, the Democrats completely control the map process here. Nationally, the Republicans don’t control every state’s remap process. So there would be an expected bump here.
But the numbers in the Senate were even more dramatic. Senate Democratic candidates won a total of 52 percent of the vote. That would translate historically into 54 percent of the seats, but the party won 68 percent of all Senate seats.
Having President Obama at the top of the ticket surely helped the Democrats last time around. For example, Obama spent a king’s ransom in Iowa, which drove Democratic turnout way up in Sen. Mike Jacobs’ (D-East Moline) district, just across the Mississippi River.
Obama’s success here even helped Democrats win a district that was drawn to benefit a Republican. The House Dems pulled their staff out of the Kankakee-area’s 79th District after Republican spending neared a million dollars, but the drastically outspent Democrat Kate Cloonen ended up pulling off a stunning upset, winning by 91 votes.
So, not all those 2012 wins can be attributed to the map. The Republicans were fighting straight uphill with Obama at the top shooting down.
However, Obama won’t be on the ballot this year. Voter unrest is obviously quite high yet again in the President’s second off-year election, so we’ll soon see just how solidly Democratic those district maps really are. My guess is they’ll hold up pretty well.
* I told subscribers about this possibility weeks ago. From the AP…
With Illinois Democrats struggling to find enough votes to increase the state’s minimum wage, some lawmakers are quietly proposing a less-contentious plan that would ask voters what they think of the idea before the legislature tries to pass a politically risky bill.
But state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, who is sponsoring the proposal to hike the minimum wage from $8.25 to $10.65 per hour, says putting a nonbinding resolution on the November ballot would only be a “last resort.” Some Democrats in swing suburban and downstate districts have joined Republicans in resisting the effort amid fears that companies would lay off workers or hire fewer new ones. […]
“Unemployment hasn’t come down the way I think it should in Illinois, and I don’t think (higher minimum wage) is going to help move that agenda forward,” [Democratic state Sen. John Sullivan] said. “I’m conflicted on it. It’s a tough issue. But given the current situation, that’s why I wouldn’t support it.”
John Jackson, a political science professor at Southern Illinois University, said although increasing the minimum wage makes sense as a talking point for Democrats on the state and national levels, “I haven’t heard a heard a single (southern Illinois) area legislator salute the idea. […]
After being pulled from consideration during committee three times this spring, the Senate Executive Committee approved a minimum wage increase late last month and is awaiting a floor vote.
As you already know, House Speaker Michael Madigan said last week that he didn’t yet have enough votes rounded up on the issue.
* A recent poll found that 63 percent of Illinoisans favor increasing the minimum wage to $10 an hour. So, if the Democrats can’t pass the bill on their own, they could still use a non-binding referendum to drive some base voters to the polls this November. If such a proposal passes, it would be a political “win-win.” The Democrats would get another favorable issue onto the ballot and business would get a reprieve from a minimum wage hike this year.
Today we moved to change our DMARC policy to p=reject. This helps to protect AOL Mail users’ addresses from unauthorized use.
It also stops delivery on what previously would have been considered authorized mail sent on behalf of AOL Mail users via non-AOL servers. If you’re a bulk sender on behalf of AOL addresses, that probably includes mail sent from you.
This can include but is not limited to:
Email service providers (ESP) sending mail on behalf of businesses using AOL addresses
Websites with “Share with a friend” functionality, sending mail using AOL addresses
Small businesses using other 3rd party services to send mail and communication between their employees and / or customers
Services used to forward mail
Mailing lists (listservs)
Mail sent on behalf of AOL Mail users to DMARC-compliant domains will be rejected by those domains unless the mail passes SPF and/or DKIM authentication checks AND the domain(s) used in those checks match aol.com.
We recognize that some legitimate senders will be challenged by this change and forced to update how they send mail and we sincerely regret the inconvenience to you.
That policy change meant I had to change the e-maill address from which the subscriber version of Capitol Fax is sent. I dumped CapitolFax@aol.com and changed it to RichMiller@CapitolFax.com.
This won’t impact most subscribers, but I anticipate some won’t receive it today.
* So, if you’re a subscriber and didn’t receivetoday’s edition, check your spam e-mail folder. If it’s not there, then you’ll have to instruct your IT folks to “white list” the new RichMiller@CapitolFax.com address.
If neither of those two fixes work, send me an e-mail and we’ll figure it out.
* Before we close for the week, Mark Denzler asked that we mention this to those of you in the 217 this weekend…
Friends,
Our annual Kentucky Derby Party benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is coming up on Saturday, April 26 at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield. This is my final year as co-chair of the event and we’re hoping to make this the best yet!
It’s a fun night for an outstanding cause great food, awesome Derby fashion, and fantastic auction items. Our silent auction includes a case of Duckhorn wine, four tickets to the Jimmy Buffett concert in Chicago, Cards, Cubs & White Sox tickets, and even a very cool private tour of the vault at the Lincoln Presidential Library and more. Buy a raffle ticket for the chance to win 4 box tickets to the 2014 Kentucky Derby!
I’m hoping that you may consider joining us for the night.
Thanks for your consideration.
* It seems like everytime I close comments for the weekend there is a late, fairly significant press releasse distributed that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Between the Twitter feed below and the “Afternoon updates” post, that’s not going to happen this time.
Enjoy the weekend! It’s May in Illinois, which means long debates and even longer nights are ahead of us all. Rich will be back on Monday, so I will see you on the rail, or at the bar, or both. Here’s some Mouse…
Well fads they come and fads they go
And God I love that rock and roll
Well the point was fast but it was too blunt to miss.
Life handed us a paycheck, we said, “We worked harder than this!”
Both State’s Attorney Jerry Brady and Peoria Police Chief Steve Settingsgaard said nothing was done out of the ordinary last week when a handful of police officers searched a Peoria home in response to a complaint by the mayor over a fake Twitter account parodying him.
Many online and at a city council meeting earlier this week have blasted the search, saying it was heavy-handed and showed preferential treatment to Mayor Jim Ardis. But Brady and the chief said that wasn’t the case. Rather, they both said, due process was followed and everything was done to preserve the rights of those people who were behind the fake account, @peoriamayor.
We didn’t treat this any differently, but we, the law enforcement arm of Peoria, would not have done anything without getting the OK from the boss. Do they have to get an OK from the Mayor everytime they are going to execute a warrant or arrest?
More…
While upset that his investigation, which lasted about a month, resulted in no charges, he said he was also glad because it showed the process worked.
A MONTH?!
But, you see, it’s not their fault Peoria has become a national laughing stock…
Chief puts "embarrassment" of people involved in #peoriamayor case on media. PPD never named who was involved.
* If you’re counting on the state pension bill to survive the Constitutionality test, thi certainly doesn’t help…
In a case with implications for the upcoming legal battle over pension reform, an Illinois appellate court in Springfield ruled that constitutional protections prevent the state from reducing mandated payments to county treasurers.
The pension protection clause of the Illinois Constitution, which says that workers’ retirement benefits can’t be diminished, is at the heart of lawsuits challenging statewide pension changes enacted late last year.
While the county treasurers’ case relies on other language in the constitution, the appellate court’s decision yesterday is analogous, using the same legal arguments and precedents that teachers and other state workers are pressing in court against pension reform.
“It supports the arguments we have been making and will continue to make,” said John Fitzgerald, partner in Chicago law firm Tabet DiVito & Rothstein LLC, which represents retired teachers and school administrators, both active and retired, in a suit challenging the pension law.
Under Illinois law, county treasurers are supposed to get an annual $6,500 stipend from the state. The treasurers sued when their annual stipends were reduced to $4,196 in the year ended June 30, 2010.
The state even pointed to a shortage in the General Assembly’s appropriation, but that argument didn’t get them anywhere.
* A pension round-up…
* Sun-Times: Reject firefighter staffing bill: Why then, we can only wonder, is the Illinois Legislature seemingly so eager to get behind a bill that would give labor unions more say in how many firefighters and paramedics a town must hire? The bill would take hiring decisions, in part, out of the hands of those best positioned to decide right — elected officials, village managers and other professional staff. And the bill would drive up costs for dozens of already cash-strapped suburbs and towns. (Want to guess how often the firefighters union in a typical town thinks there are enough firefighters?) The bill in Springfield — already passed by 63-44 in the House and headed for Senate — would make firefighter staffing levels part of labor contract negotiations. The Senate should pour water all over this one. Drown it.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/04/24/study-firefighters-more-susceptible-to-cancer/
“In general, I don’t support term limits, and do support Rauner,” Kirk said. “I think he’s the right guy for the state.”
Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) and Illinois Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) have introduced a separate proposal to amend the state constitution to limit the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, comptroller, and treasurer to two terms in office.
But Kirk said if people want to fire their elected officials, they can vote them out of office.
“If you want to fire your legislator, just vote against them,” Kirk said.
Illinois residents think they live in the worst state in the country, according to a recent poll from Gallup.
Even though Midwesterners are generally more positive about their states, Illinois residents are the exception, with 25 percent declaring that it is “the worst possible state to live.”
The particularly grim outlook of Illinois residents could be attributed to factors like high-profile scandals and high taxes.
Other Gallup polls found that Illinois residents have the least trust in their state government and are one of the most resentful about how much they pay in state taxes.
While prospects for achieving a three-fifths vote of senators in the Democratic-controlled chamber are considered good, getting the same super-majority in the Democratic-led House is believed questionable at best. Earlier this week, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan said the proposed constitutional amendment was “significantly short” of the 71 votes needed to put it on the Nov. 4 ballot.
…
The House sponsor of the plan, Rep. Christian Mitchell, D-Chicago, said he couldn’t say whether he had the required support needed for passage “at the moment.” Vote counts, he said, “are dynamic and ever changing.” Harmon, however, said he was “confident I have the votes in the Senate.”
In an effort to make the proposal more politically palatable, Harmon and Mitchell have proposed separate state legislation that would replace the state’s current 5 percent personal income tax rate, which is set to revert to 3.75 percent in January, with a three-bracket income tax. The first $12,500 in income would be taxed at 2.9 percent, income on top of that to $180,000 would be taxed at 4.9 percent, and all income above $180,000 would be taxed at 6.9 percent.
* Speaking of taxes, take a look at these opposing guest editorials concerning the motor fuel tax. The first is from Doug Whitley…
User fees are a fair and practical funding source for transportation infrastructure. It ensures that those who drive more — and therefore place more wear on our infrastructure — would pay more. Thanks to greater fuel efficiency and no motor fuel tax increases, today’s motorists contribute much less to support highway construction than in prior decades.
We cannot let our transportation networks deteriorate and become our next crushing problem like pensions and education. We need a better way forward that assures a reliable, predictable and stable funding stream to support our mobility and prosperity. We must accept the responsibility to be good stewards of our present and future transportation needs, and that time is now.
Clearly, the state needs to maintain its infrastructure, but we need to get behind the wheel and stop this push for higher fuel taxes. Illinois Auditor General Bill Holland released a report in 2013 that found Illinois spent less than half of its dedicated road fund dollars directly on road construction costs in eight of the prior 10 fiscal years.
Taxpayers should be outraged. Gas station owners and convenience store retailers are opposed to any plan that would have Illinois drivers paying more to fill-up their gas tanks.
There have been no votes in the Illinois General Assembly on specific proposals to raise the motor fuel tax in 2014, but there is a concerning amount of conversation about the possibility.
That possibility has at least been raised over in the House where the Revenue & Finance and State Government Administration Committees have been working towards a package of tax code changes.
* And here is a budget and state government round-up. Notice the re-appearance of a few doom and gloom stories…
* Minimum wage workers, state lawmakers clash on fair pay, taxes: If the state were to adopt this structure lawmakers would set the new rates. That brings up concerns for opponents. “There’s no limit on that which means they can raise it to whatever level they want and it’s going to be middle class families that get hurt the most.” -says 35th District State Senator Dave Syverson.
* Illinois lawmakers suggest abandoning resort: In a hearing to discuss the Illinois Department of Natural Resources budget Thursday, state Rep. Kelly Burke, D-Evergreen Park, asked whether agency officials had considered giving up on the 25-year-old state-owned Eagle Creek Resort south of Findlay. “Why don’t we get rid of it?” Burke asked. Natural Resources Director Marc Miller did not dismiss the idea, telling a panel of lawmakers that the state faces challenges when it comes to making Eagle Creek financially viable. The 138-room lodge has been closed since 2009 because of an outbreak of mold. A Decatur company brought in to repair the damage in 2010 walked away from the job earlier this year because of a dispute with the agency.
Gov. Pat Quinn says he’d like to see private donations factor into funding a possible Barack Obama presidential library in Illinois.
The Chicago Democrat told reporters in Collinsville on Thursday that the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library in Springfield has provided a major economic boost, particularly with tourism.
Gov. Pat Quinn is throwing his support behind a proposal to spend $100 million in state funds to sweeten Chicago’s bid for the Obama presidential library and museum.
The state is grappling with budget woes, but Quinn said Saturday the spending would be “an important investment.”
He pointed to the state’s financial support for the Lincoln library in Springfield, saying “it’s paid tremendous dividends in terms of tourism.”
Rauner’s campaign said Quinn’s visit was a campaign maneuver that featured a recycled idea. Rauner’s camp noted that Quinn launched a similar program, called Illinois Home Start, in 2009, and Quinn’s predecessor, Rod Blagojevich, launched a similar program called the I-Loan Mortgage in 2005.
Shortly after the Governor was wheels up in Marion after hosting a similar event there, Rauner hit him again for the Shakman suit…
“After claiming he would bring transparency to state government, Pat Quinn is blocking the public from learning the truth about his administration’s Blagojevich-style state job patronage scheme,” he said in an emailed statement.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner is calling on Gov. Pat Quinn to release documents related to a federal complaint alleging improper hiring in the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Rauner told The Associated Press Thursday that Quinn should keep promises of transparency by making public documents supposedly detailing hiring issues. He says Quinn is continuing Illinois’ history of corruption and cronyism.
Rauner tells AP he hasn’t hired friends, family or allies.
The Governor’s camp has yet to give a strong response to the hits he has taken from the Republican challenger over the last couple of days. In the absence of a response, the media is feeding on Rauner’s attacks and the Shakman case…
IDOT says it stopped hiring “staff assistants” after questions were raised last year, and 50 positions were reclassified as nonexempt after an audit of job responsibilities. “Moving forward, these re-classified positions will be hired through the Rutan process.”
That’s not good enough. Not even close.
Why should workers get to keep jobs that they obtained by clout, without regard for qualifications, and at the expense of those who applied through legal channels?
The bigger question: How many of them are there — not just at IDOT, but throughout state government?
The governor ought to be demanding some answers. Instead, it’s Shakman.
“Chicagoland” depicts the city we know, beautiful but with warts and broken places. And throughout, there is drama and conflict, from the painful closing of public schools to the senseless gang wars. There are heroes in it and there are failures.
There is even a death. The monitors beep at the county hospital, the doctors say “charge” and then “clear” and then nothing. You see bloody dressings on the floor at the surgeons’ feet. The camera bores in. You see a close-up of a man as he grows still.
But make no mistake: This is Rahm Emanuel’s story, his re-election campaign vehicle. This is the boss of Chicago selling his heroic narrative to American voters.
I’m in no position to judge the series. Whenever I have seen it listed in my cable guide, I click it only to find more MH370 coverage. That said, it wouldn’t totally surprise me if this were about politics. Coincidentally, or not depending on your cynicism levels, Supt. McCarthy played a central role in the Brick City miniseries that chronicled then-Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s struggle with that city’s murder rate.
Question:What is your take of the Chicagoland series? Did it accomplish anything for the good? What would you have done differently?
* This happened at the Lorimor household more than once over the past two weeks…
Sad…but true.
Welcome to the second Friday of this spring break, CapFaxers…
* Why Bill Daley’s New Hedge Fund Gig Surprises No One: In his new role, Daley will work to expand Argentiere’s U.S. business from his Chicago home base. The nascent fund, which boasts $500 million in assets, was launched in Switzerland last year by JPMorgan trading alums. (Daley has professional ties to the bank: He was JPMorgan’s Midwestern chairman from 2004 up through his Chief of Staff appointment.)
* NLRB grants Northwestern’s request for review of union decision: The union vote still takes place Friday but ballots will be impounded until the board issues a decision affirming, modifying or reversing the regional director’s decision, according to a NLRB statement. There are 76 players eligible to vote. A majority of the actual votes cast is required to authorize a union, said university spokesman Bob Rowley.
* Sun-Times: How to improve graduation rates: Systemwide, ninth-grade pass rates, or “on-track” to graduate rates, have skyrocketed, from 57 percent in 2007 to 82 percent 2013, suggesting that the surge in graduation rates won’t be limited to the 20 studied schools.
* Lawyers for men charged in NIU hazing death challenge law: “It contains no definition, no limits, no parameters, and doesn’t even cite examples of what (such acts) might be,” Donahue argued at a hearing Thursday before DeKalb County Associate Judge John McAdams. “We should all know what a crime is.”
* You Paid For It: Illinois State University President Residence Remodel: WMBD dug into records of how the university prepared to welcome Flanagan to Central Illinois, because you paid for it. Eleven thousand dollars for a fence, more than $1,000 for a microwave shelf, a master bedroom and bathroom remodel cost nearly $109,000, and $2,000 for four “private property” signs. This is how Illinois State University got ready for a new president to move into the university residence. “The Bowmans were there 10 years,” says ISU Chief of Staff Jay Groves. “He didn’t leave a lot, didn’t want a lot done when we were there. So, we saw this as an opportunity from May 15th to August 9th when Flanagan moved in to do a major remodeling project because it really needed it.” Groves says there are reasons why some of the costs we found are high. Our investigation shows workers were paid nearly $90 an hour to install and paint dry-wall.
* IDPH warns of rising STDs in Illinois: DPH officials say 20 million new sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including 50,000 HIV infections, occur in the United States each year. Nearly half of those cases are found in people between the ages of 15 and 24.
* Tollway’s $75 million bridge project will yield to fish
* Ride-sharing ordinance passes key hurdle: Under the ordinance, companies whose driver workforce averages more than 20 hours per person each week would face stronger oversight, including a requirement that all their drivers obtain chauffeur’s licenses. But the proposed ordinance targeting companies such as Uber X, Lyft and SideCar leaves it to the ride-share companies to police drivers in terms of how many work hours are logged.
* Ride Service May Pose Risk to Passengers: NBC5 Investigates went undercover, hiring UberX drivers to take us to some of Chicago’s most popular landmarks — and found not a single driver knew his way around the city. NBC5 then ran background checks on each of the drivers and discovered ticket after ticket — for speeding, illegal stops and running lights. One driver had 26 traffic tickets, yet still passed Uber’s background check.
* Ride-Sharing Regulations Passed By City Council Committee: Mayoral Policy Chief Michael Negron says the new administration proposal would create a transportation network provider license with tougher requirements for drivers working more than 20 hours a week. “Our goal is not to protect any one company or any one industry from competition. Our focus is on protecting consumers,” said Negron.
* Downtown (Peoria) Caterpillar project being studied: “We’re continuing to study it. It’s not a small project. When we have more decided, there’ll be more communicated,” said Brad Halverson, the company’s chief financial officer and a group president.
* As you may recall from a story posted here earlier this week, Speaker Madigan says he does not yet have the votes to pass the income tax hike. The renewed attention the Governor has received as of late for the Flider, Gordon, and Smith hirings from four years ago certainly does not help.
Wurth said additional cuts to Medicaid would result in reductions or eliminations of services at hospitals, including trauma, obstetrics and mental health. Patients also could see longer waiting times at emergency rooms.
“We recognize this is a difficult vote,” Wurth said. “But we need lawmakers to make tough decisions for these tough times. The future of our state depends on it.”
Among special interest groups in Illinois, the hospital association was in the top 15 in terms of giving money to politicians in the 2012 election cycle.
In 2013, the organization contributed more than $420,000 to politicians, including significant sums to party leaders on both sides of the aisle in the General Assembly.
Democrats and Republicans should change the conversation. They should assume the law as written remains law, with income tax rates receding Jan. 1, and with no new Democratic tax hikes to replace that lost revenue. Changing the conversation would make politicians of both parties face an ultimatum: Tell us how Illinois should budget for that distinct possibility.
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If your accusations are true, Republicans, prove them in a way all of us can see: Put a big table and some chairs on a shady patch of statehouse lawn. Politely invite agency heads and Quinn’s budgeteers to answer questions. Explain that this is just a conversation. You aren’t taking sworn testimony, you aren’t conducting inquisitions, you aren’t forming a shadow government. It’s a fact-gathering session, on a nice spring day, to help the people of Illinois see what the rollback will mean and how Springfield can, or can’t possibly, cut spending to absorb it.
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But with or without fresh information from the Democrats, Rauner and GOP leaders ought to propose specific revenue and spending plans. They have to assure voters now hearing the Democrats’ doom and gloom that the tax rollback won’t send state government off a cliff.
This part made me chuckle a bit…
You, too, Mr. Rauner. Itching to, say, ask Julie Hamos, head of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, about further scrubbing ineligible recipients from the Medicaid rolls? Big potential savings there, as we’ve all seen. Talk it through with her. Serve iced tea. The media coverage would, we suspect, be lavish.
Subscribers and the Tribune board knows exactly why such a conversation would be so interesting to more than just the parties involved.
Related budget round-up…
* Journal Star: Help for those who need it, for a change?: It’s a wonder anyone can be found to work in a group home for adults who are profoundly disabled. They do jobs the vast majority of us don’t want, lifting fully grown people who often are wheelchair dependent, feeding them, bathing them, learning to communicate with the nonverbal, dealing with behavioral challenges that may include biting and hitting and other forms of frustration, sometimes becoming unrelated family — all so they can earn, on average, $9.35 an hour in Illinois. And so legislation has been introduced to improve that situation. It would gradually increase the minimum pay to $13 an hour for these direct support workers by 2016, starting with a $1-an-hour wage hike on Jan. 1. Gov. Pat Quinn is on board, putting aside some $30 million in his proposed 2015 budget. We trust most would agree these workers should earn more money, though you always have some who haven’t walked in those shoes and believe taxpayers should bear no responsibility for the struggles of others, to which we would say: You’re asking the impossible of many of these families, and “there but for the grace of God go I.”
As Rauner campaigned for governor during the Republican primary, he was often asked how he could win in November when so many of his party’s recent nominees had stumbled against the state’s Democratic tide rising from Cook County.
Their doubts were understandable, having watched Democrat Pat Quinn prevail in 2010 despite carrying just three of Illinois’ 102 counties.
Rauner’s answer: he would defeat Quinn by cutting into the Democrats’ usual Cook County advantage, even predicting he would receive 25 percent of the Chicago vote because of his business and civic ties here.
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By asking city voters to call his campaign office if they want to help stop the property tax increase, Rauner seems to be trolling for disillusioned city Democrats to add to his database of potential anti-Quinn voters. They will join the names of the folks who signed Rauner’s term limits petitions for more personal attention later down the road.
It’s pretty smart politics really and probably more cost-effective than Rauner’s other strategy of just spreading his money around town to see how many people he can buy, which is standard Republican operating procedure except for Rauner having LOTS more money.
The whole column is really well done.
That “other strategy” is what Neil Steinberg was referring to last week in a now-somewhat infamous column.
You will recall Steinberg elaborated on a Sneedling that “Hermene Hartman, publisher of an obscure Chicago African-American periodical, N’DIGO, who pocketed $51,000 of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner’s bottomless pail of money and then decided, my God, he’s the man to back, the billionaire with a heart of gold that beats in time to the hopes of the black community.” But it was the lead-in paragraph to that that is causing a stir now…
Let me be clear: As a general rule, individuals will sell out the interests of their groups in return for personal benefit. It isn’t just a black thing. Jews collaborated with the Nazis during World War II, helping them to round up their own people in the hopes they’d be the last to go. The Republican Party will deny global warming until the ocean laps at Pittsburgh simply because doing something about it crosses the immediate profit of the coal burners and oil companies and carbon spouters who write the checks. No tobacco company has any trouble finding people who, at a hefty salary, stare into the camera and say no, all that lung cancer stuff is just fiction.
Some in the Chicago Jewish community say that they were outraged by Quinn’s support of the Nazi rhetoric, which was disseminated over Passover, the holiday marking the ancient Jewish people’s release from slavery.
“Coming during Passover just a few days after the [anti-Semitic] shootings in Kansas, this kind of rhetoric was beyond outrageous,” said one local Jewish community insider. “Community leaders immediately contacted the governor’s office and urged retraction.”
Sources say that the heads of several major Jewish organizations personally registered their outrage with Quinn.
Can we all just agree right here and now that Henry Gibson and the Blues Brothers are the last to make an Illinois Nazi reference? All other analogies just seem to end so well…
“I’ve been slow to embrace term limits because voters do have the power to reject candidates and oust incumbents. However, given the condition of Illinois, I think the time has come to give voters a choice on limiting terms of office for its constitutional officers,” said Radogno. “Coupled with an effort to have voters decide on legislators’ term limits, this could lead to a meaningful change in Illinois government.”
Durkin agreed. “The power of incumbency is particularly strong for those holding top executive positions like the Governor. Term limits will bring fresh perspectives to these offices and will make elections for these offices more competitive,” said Durkin.
Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 69 (SJRCA 69) would not only limit Executive Branch officers to two terms in office, it also addresses circumstances where an individual is appointed to replace a Governor or Constitutional Officer, whether due to a death or another reason. In that situation, if the acting Governor or appointee serves for more than two years of their predecessor’s term, then they will be limited to one additional term in office; in this way, no Constitutional Officer will ever serve more than ten years in that capacity.
While this proposal, had it been enacted years ago, would have kept Pat Quinn from running this year, it also would have prevented a third gubernatorial term for Jim Thompson, and another go-around for Judy Baar Topinka, who was in her third term as state Treasurer when she represented her party in the 2006 campaign against RRB.
“I strongly support this term limits proposal. It is the perfect complement to our initiative for legislative term limits, and as governor, I’ll limit myself to two terms no matter what.
Despite his current opposition to both term limits efforts, I urge Pat Quinn to take on his Party’s legislative leaders and side with the people of Illinois who support term limits across the board.”
The Quinn campaign did not immediately respond to questions about the governor’s posture toward the Radogno-Durkin plan, but a top aide to Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, expressed little interest in the Republican legislation.
“Voters have the opportunity to deny terms in every election,” Cullerton spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon told the Chicago Sun-Times.
“I led the charge to establish term limits for legislators through constitutional amendment in 1994; I successfully established recall for the office of governor through constitutional amendment in 2010; and I spearheaded the successful effort to reduce the size of the House by constitutional amendment in 1980,” the governor said.
“I hope voters have the chance to consider this constitutional amendment on the ballot,” Quinn said.
Cullerton has not budged. End of update.
Related Round-up…
* Illinois republicans split on Rauner term limit proposal: An aide to Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno - who opposed lawmaker term limits a few weeks ago - confirms that Radogno now supports them.
* RAUNER DITCHES GOP DINNER, FEARS LINK TO PASTOR’S CONSERVATIVE VIEWS: Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner has pulled out of Thursday’s Rock Island County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner citing fear of being linked to what his campaign calls “inflammatory” views of a local, African-American pastor. Rev. Don Johnson was initially scheduled to speak at the event but was dis-invited by Rock Island County GOP Chairman Bill Bloom in an effort to assuage Rauner’s concerns. However, the change failed to appease the campaign, which announced that Rauner would no longer keynote the event.
* Bernard Schoenburg: Barr borrowed late in sheriff campaign to keep ads flowing: Though first-quarter campaign reports were due April 15, Campbell’s report had not yet been filed as of early this week. That means the campaign could be assessed a fine, but State Board of Elections rules basically say such a civil penalty will be put on hold until there is a second offense. Campbell said the report was being prepared.
* DESPITE THE SPIN, STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE ELECTIONS FAIL TO VINDICATE PAT BRADY: Citing Pat Brady and AP’s Kerry Lester, the WaPo and other legacy media, concluded that the six members were “ousted” because of their opposition to gay marriage. But the facts don’t line up with the conjecture. Only two signatories of the letter - Angel Garcia and Jerry Clarke - were not re-elected last week. Two others - Mark Shaw and Bob Winchester - remain on the committee. And signers Bobbie Peterson, Gene Dawson and Jim Oberweis (who is running for U.S. Senate) did not pursue re-election. And in at least one case an incumbent SCC member may have lost re-election because of her support of Pat Brady’s actions with regards to gay marriage.
* There are a lot of big names on the Yes to Independent Maps’ list of donors. Former U.S. District Attorneys Patrick Collins and Patrick Fitzgerald, former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Illinois Manufacturers Association, the McCormick Foundation, Sam Zell, the Pritzkers, Tom Ricketts, Robin Steans of Advance Illinois, former Lt. Gov. Corine Wood, just to name a few.
But the one that jumps off the page at me: Ken and Anne Griffin, who have contributed at least $300,000 to the movement thus far.
House Speaker Mike Madigan said a popular effort to change how the state’s legislative maps are drawn is being driven only by politics.
The campaign, aimed at turning the state’s legislative redistricting process over to an independent body, is the result of Republican anger, the Chicago Democrat said Tuesday.
“The redistricting constitutional amendment is just pure Republican party politics,” Madigan said.
“There would be an adverse effect upon minorities,” Madigan said. “Put the Republicans in charge of something, and there’s going to be an adverse effect on minorities. Look at what happened on the immigration question. Look at what happened to the support for the Obama library in Chicago.”
Michael Kolenc, campaign manager for Yes for Independent Maps, called comments by House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, questioning the political motives of the effort “absurd.”
“It is no surprise that the status quo is upset that a bipartisan campaign has successfully worked over the last 2 ½ years to put in place an independent, transparent and fair redistricting system,” Kolenc said in a statement. “Speaker Madigan’s claim that we are just ‘Republican Party politics’ is absurd and has no basis in reality.”
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Kolenc, who has worked on Democratic campaigns, said Madigan “insults Democrats, Republicans and Independents across the state with his campaign rhetoric and tries to distract from the problem of our broken redistricting system.”
Discuss in comments below.
* Recent national political conventions have been held in key battleground states, such as North Carolina, Florida, and Colorado. If that principle is followed, this may be nothing more than a light snack for the beast…
Mayor Rahm Emanuel opened the door on Tuesday for the city to bid for the 2016 Democratic convention, a switch from February, when City Hall was not interested.
“We will evaluate the opportunity this could provide and proceed accordingly,” Emanuel spokesman Sarah Hamilton told me.
It’s not clear what has changed or how serious Emanuel really is about pursuing the Democratic convention, which would come as he ramps up his 2015 re-election bid.
The cities under consideration are: Atlanta; Chicago; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit; Indianapolis; Las Vegas; Miami; Nashville; New York; Orlando; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City.
While the city is Obama’s hometown, the president’s lame-duck status makes a Chicago choice questionable as Democrats pick a nominee to succeed him. At the same time, political parties also factor in the political value of a potential host city — particularly when it might help to locate the event in a potential swing state such as Ohio, Pennsylvania or Florida.
A Chicago attorney who has long crusaded against patronage is asking a federal judge to investigate hiring under Gov. Pat Quinn, alleging the Democratic governor has continued to stack the Illinois Department of Transportation with political hires.
Michael Shakman argues that Quinn has violated rules that prevent certain employees from being hired for political reasons.
The attorney points to an investigation by the Better Government Association, a watchdog group that found Quinn has continued practices first put in place by impeached ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich that it says improperly classified non-political positions as ones that could be filled by political appointees.
The Governor’s campaign, according to the Daily Herald, is not commenting on the story, which is leading to the media to rehash Rauner’s attacks. Take a look at this full WGN News segment the Republican hopeful uploaded yesterday…
That’s more than three minutes of free airtime in Chicago, and none of it included remarks from the Quinn people.
Meanwhile, good government groups said even allegations of patronage hiring were cause for concern.
“It’s a slippery slope when we see this happen. It makes sense to look into it right now,” said Susan Garrett of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. “This can’t be a gray area.”
Fair warning: two more work days before the bearded one returns. I’ll let you decide in comments if that is a promise or a threat or a promising threat.
* No charges coming against creator of fake Mayor Ardis Twitter account: A review of state law indicates the account holders of now-shuttered Twitter account @peoriamayor didn’t break the law because the actual crime alleged, “false personation of a public official,” has to be done in person, not over the Internet or other electronic media, said State’s Attorney Jerry Brady…He wouldn’t comment on whether felony marijuana possession charges would remain in place against Jacob Elliott, 36, 1222 N. University St., after police found the drug inside the house last week. A search warrant had been issued for the crime of false personation and given that the Brady believes that section of state law didn’t apply, it could mean any evidence found at the home could be suppressed as there was no legal basis for the warrant. At issue is whether the drugs still can be used against Elliott if the warrant that allowed officers inside the house wasn’t firmly legally grounded. A quick read of the warrant gives no underlying evidence for the seizure of drugs, other than the mention of a tweet regarding a crack pipe.
* Ex-top aide to Stroger gets 6 1/2 years for theft, money laundering: Carla Oglesby, 44, who was convicted last summer of theft and money laundering charges, had nothing to say before Judge James Linn handed down the sentence that was just 6 months above the minimum punishment. Oglesby becomes the second former high-level Stroger aide to be sentenced to prison since last month. Eugene Mullins, Stroger’s friend since boyhood, was sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in prison for steering county contracts to cronies in return for $35,000 in kickbacks.
* Prosecutors cleared to use Rep. Smith’s admissions at bribery trial: Smith’s lawyers had tried to block his admissions from his corruption trial scheduled for late next month, arguing the statements were made during plea negotiations and off limits. Prosecutors said Smith spoke freely after waiving his right to remain silent.
* Thomson prison could open in 2016: The full activation of Thomson prison is expected to take two years at a cost of $25 million for upgrades and renovations and $170 million for equipment and staffing.
* Obama Library-Gate: 5 Developments in Debate Over $100 Million Grant Proposal: Illinois Senate President John Cullerton will do whatever it takes — even if that means offering more cash. In an interview with Crain’s, Cullerton says: “I don’t know if they need money. We will work to provide them with whatever incentive they need. It might be less [than $100 million]. It might be more. … We need to make sure they come and they stay here.”
* Rahm’s brother’s stake in ride-share firm raises uber questions: Back at Chicago’s City Hall, mayoral spokeswoman Sarah Hamilton said there’s no connection between Rahm’s reaction to the company’s arrival here and his brother’s financial ties to Uber. “Chicago is proposing the most comprehensive ride-share regulations in the country,” Hamilton said. “Safety and customer service are the No. 1 priorities and to suggest otherwise is absurd.”
* 3 city schools handed to private group for ‘turnaround’: AUSL, which runs 29 other schools in the district, will then hire new staff for the schools and train them before reopening in the fall for the same group of students. AUSL is not a charter school, but is similar in that it is given autonomy by CPS over how to run its schools. AUSL schools hire teachers who are members of the Chicago Teachers Union.
* Despite pleas, CPS hands three schools to private operator: Their mantra was the same: If we had the same extra money CPS is about to give to the Academy for Urban School Leadership — an extra $300,000 in startup money plus $420 per student, per year for five years — you’d see results from us too.
* Chicagoans who register cars in suburbs could face stiffer fines: The proposal would raise the cost of tickets for vehicles kept in Chicago but registered outside the city from between $200 and $500 to between $300 and $1,000. City Clerk Susana Mendoza said the ordinance is used more frequently against businesses that keep fleets of trucks in Chicago while registering them in less expensive nearby municipalities than it is against individual residents. But she said the city also gets plenty of calls from people complaining about neighbors.
* Free Sunday parking could soon go away in parts of Chicago: The switch is being delivered by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in response to requests from four aldermen who called for the restoration of paid parking in areas where merchants have said free parking on Sundays makes it tougher for customers to find a space when visiting their stores and restaurants.
* Watchdog questions free parking for city workers: Nineteen of the employees get free parking at 366 W. Superior St. in a warehouse the city also uses to store two city vehicles, according to a report by Inspector General Joseph Ferguson. It’s a perk valued at $45,600 a year, based on an estimated cost of $200 a month per space, the report states. But the value of the property “may exceed $1 million, based on a recently sold property . . . one block away,” the report adds.
* Report: Growing number of homeless kids in DuPage: Meanwhile, the number of homeless students attending DuPage schools has climbed from 269 in 2006 to 1,287 last year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
